HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1976-03-04, Page 5Times-Advocate, March 4, 1976
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EXETER'S HELLS ANGELS? Not too likely, but these fellow are
probably just as proud of their "hogs" as the real motorcyclists
are, Ralph Bremner, in front, and from left to right in the rear, Dan
Preszcator, Bob McDonald, Doug Hoffman and Steve Pearce took
advantage of the earm sunny weather Saturday to do some
bicycling. photo by Youngs
Here's A Healthy Saving On
SUPER
1.4
PLENAMI NS
144 TabletS With 72 Free $ 98
$AVE $4.00
144 Tablets With 36 Free $ 99 T..
$AVE $2/9 •
288 Tablets With 144 Free
$AVE $8.99
72 Tablets With 18 Free
SAVE $1.49
1499
'499
EXETER PHARMACY
LIMITED
373 Main St, ' Phone 235-1570
•
A 4 A
I
LOTS OF ICE — had to be scraped off the streets Tuesday morning when this area was hit with a sleet and
ice storm. Above, Kim Hunt and Dianne Van Bergen get rid of the treacherous stuff in front of Chainway
Store. T-A photo
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By JACK RIDDELL
MP P Huron-Middlesex
The Ontario Government's
present programme of closing
down hospitals and hospital beds
— aimed at saving some $50
million from the Province's
Health Budget—has generated a
great deal of controversy, bit:
terness and attention throughout
Ontario. In our Riding, two in-
stitutions have been slated for
closure. First the Goderich
Psychiatric Hospital was
threatened with the Health
Minister's axe. After con-
siderable pressure from myself,
Stuart Smith and other
Opposition Members — not to
mention public outcry — the
government back-tracked on this
decision to some extent, per-
mitting at least part of the
Goderich institution to continue
as a psychiatric facility. Now,
Clinton Hospital is, according to
the Minister of Health, to be
phased out of existence. This
Cannot be permitted, and I am
taking this opportunity to ask
every one of you to make your
feelings known in this matter . . .
to write to the Premier, to the.
Minister of Health, letting them
know in no uncertain terms how
you — the people concerned, the
people affected — feel about this
outrageous and irresponsible
decision on the part of the
Government.
When hospitals are closed the
hospital beds are taken out of
service it is an admision of poor
planning — atr admission that
somehow we ended up with more
hospital beds and facilities than
required to service the
surrounding community. It is our
belief that in certain parts of the
Farm group
elects new
,directors.
The following people have been
elected as directors fur 1976-77 to
the Stephen Township Federation
of Agriculture: Ken Baker, Dash-
wood; Simon Brand, Crediton;
Dave Glavin, Centralia; Russ
Jenner, Dashwood; Larry Jones,
Crediton; Doug Lightfoot,
Crediton; Glen Miller, Parkhill;
Jim Morlock, Crediton; Jim
Patterson, Grand Bend; Rodger
Ratz, Dashwood.
Federation
resists
.closing
At a special directo-rs meeting
held in Clinton on February 25 the
Huron County Federation of
Agriculture voted to put all their
resources behind the move to
resist closing of the Clinton
Hospital. The Federation
Directors feel that the presence
of a hospital in a rural town
contributes much to its economic
viability and to the well-being of
• its citizens — both urban and
rural.
The farm accident rate is one of
the highest of any industry and
the proximity of medical help can
mean the difference between the
loss or saving of an arm or a leg,
said Adrian Vos, Federation
President. With more than 2200
members in Huron County, the
Federation represents a potential
10,000 hospital users.
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province we have too many beds,
while in others there are too few.
Clearly something must be done
to equalize hospital facilities
throughout Ontario to some
extent. The problem cannot be
solved by arbitrarily and un-
feelingly closing down hospitals
— selecting the victims with no
real justification or reasonable
explanation. By so doing, the
Government is, apparently,
unconcerned that they are
removing vital health services
from communities which may, as
in the case of the people in the
Clinton area, have to travel a
great distance to a comparable
medical facility. There seems to
be no clear cut criteria or ob-
jectives in the government's
hospital closing programme — no
standards which must be met, no
community needs taken into
consideration, Surely a more
sensible approach to reducing
hospital overheads would be to
decrease the number of beds in
the larger hospitals, and increase
over-all hospital efficiency.
For some years now, it has
been evident that the Provincial
Government has made no at-
tempt to follow a clearly-defined
or logical course for the
development of an effective and
progressive health care service
for Ontario. Enormous amounts
of money have been spent
building hospitals and hiring
doctors and support staff, No
differentiation has been made
between the efficient and the
inefficient, to concentrate on
quality rather than on quantity.
In the case of Clinton, the
Province has chosen to close
down a hospital with the lowest
average cost ,per patient.
Average length of stay fpr
patients is comparable with three
other hospitals in the County and
lower than a fourth. The
generally low occupancy rate
does indicate that there may well
be too Many hospital beds in the
County, but we believe that a
reasonable approach would have
been for the Government of
Ontario to have sat down with
representatives from all the
hospitals in the area, to inform
them that — as a result of poor
planning in.the past — there are
too many beds and the number
must be reduced. It would then
have been up to all the hospitals
to decide amongst themselves
how best to reduce beds and
budgets. This would have been a
more open and democratic
procedure. Instead, the Minister
of Health came marching into our
small rural town with his group of
advisers and handed the hospital
administrator the death warrant
for our hospital.
The Government must realize
also that a hospital becomes an
integral and vital part of a
community — the place where
people train and work, People
move into communities because
of a hospital: lives are organized
with the local hospital as a focal
point. You cannot close down
hospitals in a haphazard fashion,
making no provision for present
or future patients, or for those
who have chosen a specific
hospital as the centre of their
professional lives.
The Provincial Government
has absolutely no right to
sacrifice much needed hospital
facilities in an effort to put the
brakes on rapidly rising
medicare costs. Any reduction in
the Ministry of Health's budget
must be carried out with every
consideration being given to the
prime importance of the needs of
the community.
In the Liberal Party we are
presently preparing a major
statement on health costs in
general. This statement will
attempt to give what we believe
to be a rational and fair alter-
native to the government's
current unfair and unreasonable
actions. It'Will deal with ways of
measuring efficiency in
hospitals, suggest methods of
improving effectiveness. The
question of laboratory use will
also be examined,- as well as
methods of reducing lab, ex-
penses. We shall suggest means
of ensuring that doctors exercise
restraint in connection with tests
which are ordered for patients
and the utilization of medical
facilities, Finally, we , shall
discuss each one of the proposed
hospital closings and our
suggested alternatives in each
case.
Our paper will attempt to
present a commonsense ap-
proach to the question of health
costs. Above all we are concerned
— deeply concerned — with the
impact of these major decisions
on communities and people
throughout Ontario,
The Government's decisions
have been announced outside the
Legislature, and the elected
representatives of the people
have had no opportunity to
debate them in the House, The
fact that these announcements
began the day after the
Legislature adjourned can
certainly not be put down to
coincidence, and clearly in-
dicates the attitude of the
Government to the Legislature
and the people of this Province, It
is our strong belief that such
important matters must be fully
debated in the Legislature and I
intend to raise questions in the
House about Goderich and
Clinton as soon as the House
reconvenes on the 9th March,
I have repeatedly asked for an
appointment with the Premier to
plead the case of Clinton
Hospital, but at this point I have
been unable to obtain a com-
mitment from his office for such
a meeting. I shall continue to
pursue this matter, and hope that
it will be possible to meet with the
Premier before the House
reconvenes. If not, I am seriously
considering calling for an
emergency debate.
In this Riding we are all con-
cerned about ,the future of
Clinton. I personally am deter-
mined to do everything possible
to keep our hospital open, and
once again I ask you to do your
part — by informing the
Provincial Government in no
uncertain terms just how you feel
about this important issue,
•
ADAMS
BY URSULA REGIER
On Tuesday evening Local 317
held another meeting with many
topics on hand for discussion.
Due to the severe weather con-
ditions this winter, several Local
and Executive meetings have
had to be cancelled but many
meetings went on schedule and
amazingly members who I would
expect could never make it,
considering road conditions in
their areas were there and on
time too, just good interested
farming people,
On December 8 to the 12th,
inclusive, was held our National
Annual Convention in
Edmonton, Alberta. Mr. and Mrs,
poyd Willert and Mr. and Mrs,
.Casey Inthout attended, retur-
' hing with a very favourable
report, attendance as large or
maybe e•even larger than last
year. Many more younger far-
mers attended, even the Youth
Exchange participants took a
heavy roll in the Convention
activities,
We are sending one Youth on
N. F. U. executive report says
much has been accomplished
the Exchange this year, their
expenses paid, but are still
waiting for more name entries
before we make the draw, the
winner hopefully, will bring us
back a good report on their trip
and of the area culture where
they will be staying,
During the past year much
work has been accomplished.
Many demands for higher farm
prices on all Comodities, such as
milk, which has been an N.F.U.
fighting issue for several years
when we got the price con-
siderably higher, when our quite
impressive men, well versed in
the Dairy Policy fought a 'hard
lonely battle, now look at the
Income and the Output. All farm
grown products are the same, if
we farmers could get half the
price of a little bag of Navy Beans
which, are sold in the stores, we
would smile from ear to ear,
Bread, butter, you name it, made
out of cheap farm products and
priced actually out of reach for
the Consumer,
Roy Atkinson attended the
Federal Agricultural Outlook
Conference, there he stated
predictions indicate in 1976 farm
income is forecast to drop 25
percent, while farm costs will
continue to rise. In major areas
of production, for example milk
and beef cattle, Ottawa is calling
for a cut back in production, In
regard to hogs, farmers are
asked to be careful not to in-
crease production too much, only
grain they ask a major ex-
pansion. This tends to act within
the federal anti-inflation policy.
It is clear that the major attack
on cost is deliberately focussed
on the wages of workers and farm
product prices, despite the fact
government states farm gate
prices are free of the guidelines.
On the subject of federal
government lack of effective
control over inflation, controlling
major resources dominated by
multi-national corporations, of
all the provinces, only Saskat-
chewan seems to be taking ef-
fective steps in this direction by
its announced intention to take
over Potash production and
distribution, This action of course
is being opposed by proponents of
so-called free interprise.
The N,F.U. statement to the
Conference included a section on
the depressed economic con-
ditions for cow-calf operator's.
Roy said there is no federal
provision to protect cow-calf,
contraction, the so-called free
market is now exerting on our
lei/els of beef production. As a
consequence, cow-calf operator
are forced to transfer a
tremendous amount of wealth as
represented by their consistant
losses of the past year to sub-
sidize cattle feeders and the
public in general. That's not
stability. It is ironic to observe
that if this Conference was being
held five years ago in the full
flush of the Task Force Report
"Agriculture in the Seventies"
we would be told that never again
would vie be able to fulfill the
growing demand for beef —
500,000 feeders by 1980 were to
be sold annually to the U.S.